Sep 11, 2012

[Take It Slow; Savor the Journey]

"I think one big issue that I am finding is start to dissipate is
the freneticism of the herd. There is a drive to get to the end. I knew
all along that there was no end game to get to. Yet, I still fell prey
to “end game” discussions and talk about Zhaitain and final armors and
weapons. It felt like I had to get there too. I really don’t… at least
right away.

The other problem with Guild Wars 2 content is that it is incredibly
high speed. Without having to turn in quests there is much less time to
digest experiences. I didn’t realize how important this was for my 'fun'
until I actually sat there watching the backside of the asura
elementalist as he ran away. I wasn’t following my own advice.
I need to slow down; reflect for that one moment. ‘I just did this, and
it was great.’ Moments like that are not another belly-bombing slider
going down the hatch."

This observation about fully enjoying the game is very true, I've found; especially when it comes to getting the 'story' of a zone (which some have complained is lacking in GW2 due to there not being quest hubs to deliver it via quest text to players). However, the story is still there -- you just have to choose to speak to the various named NPCs and Heart taskgivers that you find, and stop a moment to listen to the banter of the townsfolk you come across rather than sprinting past (or away once your contribution reward pops). The narrative of the various maps in GW2 is not forced upon you; instead it's similar to real life in that if you are always rushing to the next goal and not stopping to investigate the world around you, it will mean you will get less out of the journey as a whole.

3 comments:

It makes me slightly crazy that this idea of slowing down and enjoying the ride is somehow being tied to Guild Wars 2. I don't mean your post in particular, but it just reminded me of it.

Which MMOs are better if we slow down, take a breath, and try to enjoy ourselves? All of them. Ever. It took me three months to level up to 50 in Vanilla WoW originally, and that's not just because of a lack of heirlooms.

So I agree with you completely that rushing likely means not enjoying the experience as much. I just wish after being (in part) chased off WoW by the "go go go" crew and SWTOR being attacked by people ranting about end-game that the MMO community as a whole had come to this lovely zen understanding before now. I certainly hope they keep this in mind when (if) they play their next MMO.

There's a reason why GW2 inspires this topic so much right now. the world is crafted in a way that does not only allow exploration but encourages it in ways no other MMOs have done before. ofc it takes time and pro-activity in GW2, too; if you think it all gets thrown at you, you will miss it - but it's there waiting, a lot more depth and wealth if you give it a real chance. it's sad to rush through this game, more than ever.

some people ignore that ANet are in the MMO bussines just as long as Blizzard is; they have as much experience with world building or lore or community management as them. this isn't some rookie company launching 'yet another F2P MMO' - as some people like to call GW2 right now, and they couldn't be more wrong.

It will be one of GW2 big achievements that they are pushing a trend forward of "finding your own adventure", not just for the few individual explorer's out there (like myself), but a much wider, mainstream audience.you can always explore in MMOs but some MMOs are more exploration-friendly and rewarding than others, especially to the average player.

that said....there are still players who currently call GW2 a 'grind' as they try rushing to max level...there's no helping that demographic. some people do not want to try different and they do now want to adapt a playstyle. that's that.